Subscription-enabled audio device and subscription system

• US 10,051,460 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2016
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Plantronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Bran, Cary
• Primary Examiner(s): Sobutka, Philip
• Application Number:
  US15/382,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20180176766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 455 301, 455 302, 455 303, 455 304, 455 306, 4554141, 455411, 455418-420
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1008 Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A subscription-enabled audio device is provided, which comprises at least a speaker for providing an application audio output; a subscription verification module, allowing to determine a subscription state indicator; and an audio processor for controlling the speaker. To provide an enhanced audio device that is particularly suitable for Device-as-a-Service application, the audio processor is configured to query the subscription verification module to obtain the subscription state indicator and to provide a subscription state audio output in addition to said application audio output to the speaker in case the subscription state indicator corresponds to an unsubscribed state.

Claims

1. A subscription-enabled audio device, comprising at least

a speaker for providing an application audio output;

a subscription verification module, allowing to determine a subscription state indicator; and

an audio processor for controlling the speaker, wherein

the audio processor is configured to query the subscription verification module to obtain the subscription state indicator and, in case the subscription state indicator corresponds to an unsubscribed state, to provide a subscription state audio output in addition to said application audio output to the speaker;

wherein

the subscription state audio output is multiplexed with the application audio output.

2. The audio device of claim 1, further comprising a communication interface, connected with the subscription verification module and configured at least for communication with a subscription service device.

3. The audio device of claim 2, wherein the communication interface is additionally configured to receive application audio data and to provide the received application audio data to the audio processor for generating the application audio output.

4. The audio device of claim 2, wherein the subscription verification module is configured to receive subscription information from a subscription service device and to set the subscription state indicator corresponding to the received subscription information.

5. The audio device of claim 2, wherein the subscription verification module is configured to set the subscription state indicator to the unsubscribed state in case subscription information is not received from a subscription service device within a predefined connection timeout interval.

6. The audio device of claim 1, wherein the audio processor is configured not to provide the subscription state audio output to the speaker in case the subscription state indicator corresponds to a subscribed state.

7. The audio device of claim 1, wherein the audio processor is configured to repeat the subscription state audio output until the subscription state indicator corresponds to the subscribed state.

8. The audio device of claim 1, wherein the audio processor is configured to repeat the subscription state audio output in periodic intervals.

9. The audio device of claim 1, wherein the subscription state audio output is a voice prompt.

10. The audio device of claim 1, further comprising a user audio input to obtain user audio.

11. The audio device of claim 10, wherein the audio processor is connected with the user audio input and being configured to provide user audio data to the communication interface for transmission to a further device, wherein in case the subscription state indicator corresponds to the unsubscribed state, the audio processor is configured to generate the user audio data from the user audio and the subscription state audio output.

12. The audio device of claim 1, wherein the subscription verification module is configured to receive subscription information, comprising subscription expiration data, and to set the subscription state indicator according to the subscription expiration data.

13. The audio device of claim 1, wherein the audio processor is configured to additionally provide an expiration audio output to the speaker.

14. The audio device of claim 1, wherein the audio processor is configured to provide subscription initiation audio output to the speaker in case the audio device is not in a configured state.

15. The audio device of claim 1, wherein the audio device is head-worn user audio device.

16. The audio device of claim 1, wherein the audio device is a headset.

17. The audio device of claim 1, wherein the subscription state indicator relates to the subscription state of the audio device itself.

18. The audio device of claim 1, wherein the audio device remains mainly functional, even when no current subscription is present.

19. A subscription system with at least one audio device and a subscription service device,

the audio device comprising at least

a speaker for providing an application audio output;

a subscription verification module, allowing to determine a subscription state indicator;

a communication interface, connected with the subscription verification module and configured at least for communication with a subscription service device; and

an audio processor for controlling the speaker; and

the subscription service device comprising at least

a second communication interface, configured for communication with the at least one audio device; and

a subscriber database, connected with the second communication interface to provide subscription information to the at least one audio device;

wherein

the audio processor of the audio device is configured to query the subscription verification module to obtain the subscription state indicator and, in case the subscription state indicator corresponds to an unsubscribed state, to provide a subscription state audio output in addition to said application audio output to the speaker;

wherein the subscription state audio output is multiplexed with the application audio output.

20. The subscription system according to claim 19, having a plurality of audio devices.

21. A computer-implemented method of subscription management with an audio device, the audio device having at least a speaker for providing an application audio output, wherein

a subscription state indicator is obtained;

and

in case the subscription state indicator corresponds to an unsubscribed state, a subscription state audio output is provided together with the application audio output to the speaker;

wherein the subscription state audio output is multiplexed with the application audio output.

22. A non-transitory machine-readable recording medium including contents that are configured to cause an audio device to conduct the method of claim 21.